The Queen's Guard

Some legends say that when the Kitsune reach their one hundredth birthday, they can begin shapeshifting, a trick that makes describing them very difficult. Those that achieve this tend to go for shapes that command maximum respect: an elegant young woman or a wise old priest. If they’re in a trouble-making mood, they can also pose as humans they’ve seen before: a prince who can command an army or an enemy who needs to be humiliated. Luckily, the fox’s disguise is rarely perfect. If you catch him off guard, you might catch a glimpse of his bottlebrush tail! Some of the oldest and most powerful Kitsune have been known to take on other shapes as well; impossibly tall trees, second moons in the sky, or even completely disappear. This piece is available for licensing. “I did not want to think about people. I wanted the trees, the scents and colors, the shifting shadows of the wood, which spoke a language I understood. I wished I could simply disappear in it, live like a bird or a fox thr